Imposing 230-year-old Wexford building steeped in history on the market for under €500,000

Irish Independent

5 days ago

Delare House, South Street, New Ross, Co. Wexford, was built in 1790 for Charles Tottenham and known as Tottenham Family Town House, who in 1856 leased the property at favourable rates to the Sisters of Mercy when it was adapted for use as a convent and school. The Sisters, who were known for their academic teaching of young women, but more so for skilled lace making, occupied the property until 1971, before relocating to The Irishtown, and at that point, the building was bought by a local family who turned it into a hotel which held "quite memorable dances and discos', according to one local who frequented in various capacities including as a young school girl and a hotel guest. The hotel, Delare House, was in business for approximately a decade, and in the early 2000s, the building was again adapted for the purpose of office spaces, which was occupied by Kelly Colfer Son and Poyntz Solicitors.
In a full-circle of events, Philip Carton of PN O'Gorman has been working with the owners of the protected structure in preparations for it to be listed on the property market. However, Philip's mother, Anne, happened to be a young student of the Mercy, and would have attended in the year that the move was made from Delare House to the Irishtown. Anne also fondly remembers her own late father, Tom Walsh, dealing with the sale of the building as an auctioneer for PN O'Gorman, and in her adult years, Anne too had dealings as an auctioneer with the landmark site and in 1985 she sold a section occupied by gardens, a graveyard and the old school to the local authority, who has since developed that area into a terrace of townhouses.
As the property enters the market to be sold for it's next purpose, at an asking price of €455,000, Philip is excited to see what's in store for the 'hugely imposing and impressive premises', and he said the possibilities are endless, given its history over the past two centuries.
'Looking across the streetscape of new Ross, I think probably one of the other few comparables would have been the former Royal Hotel, where the Norman gardens, is today,' he said.
He continued: 'There's various different reports on the building, because of its historic nature, and there's great lineage from when it was built by the Tottenhams, then leased to the Mercy Order. But what was really interesting was Catherine McAuley, the founder of the Mercy Order, also spent time in New Ross and she too could possibly have links there.
'An additional point of interest is that Christian Brothers, the Augustinians and the Mercy were three religious orders with quite a big footprint in the town, which is quite amazing back in those days.
'We can see how, even back when the lease started there was a very strong sense of community instilled in those who had dealings with the property, and I don't know whether it would have been called philanthropy, but it would have been altruistic back then for sure, to lease the property on such favourable terms,' Philip explained.
'We're delighted to be working with the owners on the sale of this property, and from the perspective of offering commercial properties in New Ross, it's something we've obviously been doing for more than a century as we celebrated our 100th anniversary last year, and this is a very, very special one for us as sellers because it allows us to continue to work with the owners, and meet the latest potential buyers and hear their desires for the property,' he added.
Located in the heart of New Ross, at its intersection with Michael Street and Robert Street, Delare House is one of the few surviving examples of Georgian architecture in the town centre. Approached by a sweeping flight of eight granite steps, it is almost-symmetrical in shape centred on a Morrison Doorcase that has a simplified peacock tail fanlight. It extends to approximately 924 sq m (9,945sq. ft) offering generous proportions with wonderful high ceilings, floor to ceiling sash windows and beautiful period features.
This property offers a multitude of possibilities for both residential and mixed-use spaces as planning permission was recently granted for change of use, from an office building to residential use, to comprise of nine apartments ranging from approximately 55 sq m to 120 sq m, and all associated works. To the rear of the property, there is secure and ample car parking facilities.
'The sale of this substantial property presents a rare and exciting opportunity to acquire and develop a piece of New Ross history,' Philip continued. 'Thankfully, there's been a very strong interest in the property since launching it last week, coming from various different fields, from people who are looking at it from a development perspective, and there's also interest from people looking at bringing it back to a historic townhouse.
"It's a wide and vast level of interest and it'll be exciting to see what'll come of it,' Philip concluded.